Happy Thanksgiving

To describe my day, well, so much for dieting today. Way too much turkey. Will need to exercise for.... 8-10 hours tomorrow. Just kidding. Have a great night.

Short Week

What a wonderful week, only 3 days of work and now I am off till Monday. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, there is so much to be thankful for in my life. so much, that this entire entry could be full of what I am thankful for. Tomorrow is a test, can I limit my calories on Thanksgiving. it is going to be hard but it is possible.
Before I get to the rest of my week, I want to talk about were I started this year. So earlier this year in January, I participated in a metabolic testing / body composition tracking program at the Wellness Center at Ft. Carson. This test consisted of several different tests including; body composition testing, VO2 max testing, metabolic resting rate testing and a few strength tests. At that time I was exercising on and off with no real direction or focus. I though I was in pretty good shape at the time. Well I did pretty good at the VO2 max test with a respiratory fitness level of 56.2ml/Kg/min. For my age, >50.4 is considered superior. My resting metabolic rate was 2094Kcal/day. So this is considered fast, and  I burn a lot of calories. On the downside of the test, I was 190.7 lbs and had a BMI of 26.5. This placed me in the overweight category. Worse than that is my body fat was at 21.4%, this placed me in an excess fat category. After getting all this information I was determined to lose weight and get lean. I started working out aerobically and changed my diet. At first I think I did it well and I lost weight fairly quickly, I pushed myself with cardiovascular training and cut back on bad foods. As the spring and summer came I started riding long distance on my bike. My diet was not doing so well though, in an attempt to lose weight faster I cut my calories too much. My body rejected that by losing muscle weight and storing fat. I originally thought, wow, I am losing alot of weight. I was down to 176lbs at one point and felt I was doing OK. Soon I was back for a recheck of my body composition. Boy was I in for a shock.
My repeat testing in July was a disaster. Results showed I had lost weight, I was down to 181lbs. But, and there is a bad but, I had gained body fat and was now at 23.1%. My lean body mass was down as well. So, I had so screwed up my training that I had lost muscle mass and gained body fat. What a depressing day that was. But it was an eye opener for me, time for me to change. This was a defining moment.
From that day on I changed my workout routine. I changed my diet and the way I approached life. From that time forward I started planning my workouts closer. I started doing weight training 3 times per week in addition to cardiovascular training. I changed my aerobic exercises to include running, biking, elliptical and stairs. I changed my diet to include good foods, high protein content with the addition of good carbs. Later I added an additional morning workout 3-4 times per day. I added exercises I had been avoiding to include pull-ups, chin-ups and chest dips. I started to feel stronger, leaner and had more energy. Then it came time for another test.
What a change in my numbers. My training was finally showing. My body fat was now down to 19.6% that was down almost 4%. My weight was constant at 182.3lbs. This places my lean body mass at 80.4%. Now I can say I am on the right track. I am down to the Moderately Lean category.
Body composition testing can be a great way to monitor your training and training. I feel that the information that I am receiving is helping to guide how I train, what I eat and the changes that i need to make.
My goals are easy. In less than 6 months I will be 50 years old. I will continue to work as hard as possible to bring my body fat percentage down to 15%. I want to be in the best shape of my life. That is all. I owe it to God and myself to continue to take care of the body that he provided me. I do this as a tribute to Him. For this I am thankful for. I will succeed.

Weekend Post

The weekend is just about over. Although it has been cold and snowy, it sure has been a great relaxing weekend. While it is nice and warm inside and I have relaxed most of the weekend without really accomplishing anything in particular, I still got in some exercise. Yesterday I was able work out with my wife Kim, we completed a 60 minute Bob Harper video called the Inside Out Method. Out of all of his video routines I like this one the best. It is a mix of upper body movements with lower body lunges and squats. Today I got in a 3 mile run on the treadmill.
My diet this weekend was been pretty good except for breaking down last night and having a Blizzard at Dairy Queen. I figured I had better do the treadmill today to make up for it. A good diet is essential to losing the weight you want. The diet must be well balanced with good protein intake, low in simple carbs, and low in fat. The diet should have enough calories to support muscle growth but not too much so that the excess gets stored as fat. Eating every 2-3 hours helps maintain a continuous metabolic burn throughout the day. Eating a good protein about an hour before bedtime keeps the body from going into starvation mode by morning. It is OK, however to allow yourself to have a cheat day from time to time, just not everyday.
Today being Sunday, my family went to church. I listened to a great sermon today about comparison. Why we shouldn't compare and covet what everyone else has. That got me to thinking, we go through life looking at others and wishing we could be like them, leaner, stronger, smarter. Why do we covet when God gives us everything we need to succeed on our own. But why should we strive to be the best we can be. Is it because of pride, guess it could be if that what drives you. But it does not have to be that way. God creates us and gives us a body to take care of. We choose how to take care of that body. As children of God we owe it to Him to take care of what he gave us. I am not saying that we all should spend several hours in the gym a day, that is ridiculous. But, we should at least try to care for what He has given us to the best of our abilities. I don't think that God likes us to just sit on our asses and turn into huge couch potatoes. I feel that keeping ourselves in decent shape is a tribute to what He has given us. And if you are reading this and feel that you have not been taking care of what He has given you, then get up and get started. I am not exercising just to make myself better than everyone else, I just want to be the very best I can in His eyes. So with that on my mind tonight, I will go forward with my routine and strive to give it my all from this time forward.

Snow day 2

The snow continues to fall here in Canon City. The temperature is cold but it is nice inside. Today was crossfit day in the gym. I am very blessed to be able to get my workouts in during lunch at work. The hospital has an employee gym that I have definitely take advantage of 4-5 times a week. Today's workout consisted of bodyweight exercises to include chin ups, hammer pull ups, push-ups, squats chest dips and lunges. The circuit includes only20 second breaks between each exercise. The use of minimal breaks keeps the heart rate up and challenges the muscles greater. Bodyweight exercises are a great way to build strength without expensive equipment. Chin ups are one one the best strength moves. It works out the entire upper body with just one move. Adding in a knee up at the top helps build the abs as well. But I hear you, can't even do one chin up. Try jumping or assisted chin ups to start, try doing 1-3 per day for a few weeks and you will find yourself doing at least one on your own in no time. I had the same problem, now after working it as often as I could I am up to 15 at a time. Persistence is the key to any exercise program.

Nov 21 WOD

20 Minute run

30 Sec Plank
30 Crunches
30 Sec Plank
30 Bicycle Crunches
30 Sec Plank
30 Leg Raises
30 Sec Plank

Chin Ups 3x10

Snow day

 

Cold and snowing here in Colorado. The weather moved in over night with freezing temperatures and drizzle. We are suppose to get up to 6 inches in the next day. Finally, winter has showed up in Southern Colorado. I have been hoping we would get some moisture soon, it has been too dry lately. With the cold temperatures, my runs will turn to the treadmill and indoor bike. Training does not stop just because the weather turns bad. Just means working out in a different manner. Why are there so many people that have to make resolutions every New Year to "get back" in shape? For a majority the answer is they give up working out during the winter months because they do not alter their workout routine to the change in weather. The truth is there are many ways to burn those same calories without expensive gym memberships or equipment. Each week I will discuss different methods of burning those calories from the comfort of home.

In the Beginning (again)

And so it begins again....I have turned back to blogging to document another journey in my life. In 6 months I will be turning 50 years of age and I have decided that I will not turn into a middle age fat man. For the past 2 months I have been working hard at increasing my physical fitness training and plan on arriving at 50 in the best shape that I have ever been. For those that may have read my last blog entry in 2008 when I was completing my first Ironman ----- yes, I want to be in better shape than that. So stay tuned for updates and comments as I climb on the fitness bandwagon and drive straight to 50 with tires spinning and skid marks in the parking lot. This is going to be a crazy journey.